The Proposition
by Chryselis
Summary: Just because Squall dumped her didn't mean Quistis' world would end, but why did her heart ache? She was willing to move on, until a blue eyed stranger appears with a proposition—a little sort of payback.
1. Breakup

**Chapter 1**

There she stood, a lone figure in her bedroom. All was still, and her soft deep breathing filled the emptiness of the room. No matter how hard she tried, the scenes wouldn't stop playing in her head. Quistis could only close her eyes and feel her heart palpitate against her chest.

 _Pang!_

The dart flew straight into the air, piercing the picture attached to the wall. It hit the face of a man she loved whole-heartedly. Squall Leonhart, the brown-haired and green-eyed SeeD cadet who stole her heart the moment she laid eyes on him.

Raising another dart, she couldn't help but remember how Squall broke the news to her. He took her to their secret space in the training center. A midnight rendezvous, if one could say. Except it wasn't a pleasant one.

"I'm sorry, but we need to break up." He said. "I don't love you anymore."

"You're joking, right?"

But Squall kept his silence, looking at her with sorrowful eyes.

"You don't mean it, do you?"

"I'm sorry."

"Y-you mustn't be thinking clearly."

"I'm as clearheaded as I can be."

"Then why break up with me?" she asked, not believing that he fell out of love with her. When he didn't answer her, Quistis finally grabbed him by the collar. "Answer me!"

Squall looked at her straight in the eyes. "I love someone else."

"Someone else," she repeated. "You love someone else." The words were quite strange upon her lips. It felt like a bad dream. Yes, it was dream. It had to be a dream. That was the only logical explanation why her boyfriend was telling her this. It had to be…

Taking a deep breath, she tried to guess who this _someone else_ could be. Everyone in Balamb knew they were a couple, and no one would dare to poach Squall from her.

Unless….

Unless she wasn't from Balamb.

Unless Squall met her outside Balamb Garden during one of his missions.

Five months earlier, Squall was deployed to Galbadia to protect a certain very important person. It was such an important case that Squall never even divulged the details to her. When he returned a couple of weeks ago, Quistis was glad to be reunited with him. Perhaps she was too blind with love that she had never noticed the subtle changes in his demeanor.

The eyes that once shone with love for her dimmed. The smile he sheepishly would give her never reached the corner of his ears or eyes. And the long dreaded monosyllabic responses he gave her when they initially met came back.

Of course. It made perfect sense.

She was a Galbadian.

"Why, Squall?" she asked, hating herself as she was close to begging. "Am I not good enough?"

He pried her fingers away from his collar. "I'm sorry." With nothing else to say, he left her. Quistis crumpled on the ground, choking back a sob and the tears from her eyes.

She began to recall the conversations they had together. The love he professed. The appreciation he had for her as an instructor. The dreams they had. The family the planned to have in the future.

Quistis remembered the last time she had cried over a man. It was the day Squall confessed to her that he loved her. His words brought genuine joy and tears because she loved him as long as she could remember. She loved Squall despite him being a cold and unfeeling jerk to everyone, including her.

How strange it was that she was crying over him again. Except that his words now brought sorrow and tears to her.

 _Pang!_

This time, the dart shot straight into the air, this time, hitting the woman beside him. Quistis dispassionately looked at her. It took Quistis's skills to find who _someone else_ was after Squall dumped her.

Rinoa Caraway, or Rinoa Heartilly as she called herself among her close circle of friends, was the daughter of the Galbadian General Fury Caraway. Apparently, she was the very important person Squall was tasked to protect. Through a freak accident, Rinoa inherited Sorceress powers that rendered her a possible target for scientists who wanted to exploit her powers.

Quistis managed to secure a copy of the mission's feedback report. Squall was the hero of this mission, managing to escort her to a scientist so that she would be able to control and stabilize her powers.

The hero of the mission also became the hero of her heart, it seemed.

Lucky them, she thought.

 _Poor her._

Would she allow a mere sorceress to undo everything she worked for?

No, of course not.

There was a reason why she was Instructor No. 17 and why she had become a SeeD at the tender age of 15. At 25, she had 10 years as an experience as a SeeD. She was Balamb Garden's Card King and one of the institution's youngest instructors. She attained her achievements with her mind and her skill. She could work her way through any problem. She could forget Squall and move on…

Or she would make Squall pay, as she planned with _him._

It was a fantasy she nourished to soothe the ache brewing in her heart. He'd regret dumping her, and perhaps then, he'd return to her and apologize, thinking how sorry and foolish he was to give her up. And then she'd move on, breaking his heart the same way he broke hers.

Was she really going to spend the rest of her days being angry and miserable? A part of her wanted to forget and move on with her life. Despite the pain of heartbreak. Despite the fact the one she loved, loved someone else.

But fate had a different plan for her.

In hindsight, perhaps she should have refused _his_ offer. Heck, she should never had bothered to agree to his stupid plan anyway.

But a deal was a deal, and she had already given her word.

 _Perfect, Quistis._ Absolutely perfect. _You're making a deal with the devil, and anytime, he'll come knocking on your door to seal the deal._

The door banged.

Hyne, he was here. Quistis didn't even bother to approach the door. "Who's there?"

"It's me."

In less than a minute, the door opened.

And there, he stood.

Looking like the perfect knight.

The perfect devil.

"Seifer Almasy."


	2. Pretend Boyfriend

Four cards sprawled across the 9x9 Triple Triad Board. Passing students wanted to observe the ongoing card battle between Quistis and Xu, sadly, they could only look from afar. What they didn't know was that the card battle was just an excuse for a heart to heart talk in public.

"Are you this hung up on him?" Xu asked, going through her deck of cards.

Quistis sighed, hesitating which card to use.

"I think you should forget him. I don't think he's worth it."

She sighed again. Perhaps this card...

"Quisty, you're losing your edge in Triple Triad because of him."

Yes, this card would do.

"What do you even see in him? He's a bloody loner. He's not even nice to me."

Quistis placed a card on the deck. It had no effect on her scoreboard. "You don't see what I see in him."

Xu raised her hands, rolling her eyes over Quistis' declaration. "Seriously?"

Quistis lost that round, and as a result, she had to relinquish one of the cards in her deck. She hated losing. Quistis wasn't always a sore loser. Not until Squall left her. It was awful to lose in the game of love. But to also lose in the game of cards? She grumbled. What rotten luck.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the intruder who appeared beside them. He coughed, and Quistis finally raised her head to look at him.

He was a very good looking man, with eyes so blue and light one couldn't think was real. A strong nose with short cropped hair. He was a large figure, the only anomaly to his beautiful cold and cruel face was the scar slashed across his nose bridge.

Quistis squinted. Odd. It was so similar to Squall's.

And the she remembered who he was.

"Seifer Almasy?" Xu asked in surprise.

He acknowledged Xu's statement, but kept his attention to Quistis. "The Card King lost?"

She remembered Seifer. Like her, he an orphan back in Matron's orphanage. He never got along with anybody, including her. Quistis didn't care about him and focused her attention on Squall alone.

Through a series of events, she managed to enter Balamb Garden and became a SeeD. It was the last place she expected to find Almasy. Seifer's impulsiveness and brashness always got him in trouble, and as a result, he was never promoted to SeeD.

He had a not so friendly rivalry with Squall. One thing led to the other, and both ended up with large scars on their faces. The scars on their nose bridge was testament to their rivalry. To settle their issues, Seifer was shipped to Galbadia, never to be heard of again.

Until now.

"How'd you know she's the Card King?" Xu asked, "and wait, what are you doing here?"

"One, I have my ways." he chuckled. "and two, I'm a transferee instructor."

Xu let out a long yet sharp hoot. "So you actually managed to graduate! Congratulations, Almasy! Bad grass wins. "

Xu's careless statement didn't even dent his composure. "It takes a lot to kill a bad grass."

"Yeah, but this is a surprise. To see you in the flesh." Xu looked at him from head to foot. "and you filled up nicely in Galbadia. You were so skinny back then. No wonder Squall kicked you in the ass."

Hearing Squall's name brought displeasure to his face. "I kicked his ass _as well_ , remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Xu mumbled. "You wanna to talk with Trepe? You've been ogling her despite you talking to me."

Ogling her?

"You want to talk with me?" she asked Seifer.

"Alone."

 _"Alone?"_ she repeated

"Yes."

Xu finally settled with Quistis' Chocobo card. "You know, I just remembered I had some papers to check. Do excuse me Q, Almasy." Xu stood and stepped away from her chair. Before she left the table, Xu waved the rare card in front of Quistis. "Tell me the details."

"Screw you." Quistis blushed at Xu's lack of subtlety. "and I'll get that card back."

Xu winked and giggled as she left the two of them. Just like a school girl, Quistis mused.

She turned her attention to Seifer. "Sit down." Quietly, he sat on Xu's seat.

"Such foul language coming from the Card King."

"That was a private conversation."

"Not when another person can read what's going out of your lips."

"I wasn't aware you had this absurd notion of staring at my lips." '

"You have beautiful lips." He noted.

 _Thump._ Her heart skipped a bit. Was that… a compliment?

"But Rinoa's lips are better." He smirked.

Her heart sank. Rinoa. Always rinoa. Why was this idiot bringing her up?

"I'm a very busy and if you wouldn't mind, can you be direct to the point?"

"Feisty," he said, coldness in his expression, an arrogant smugness she found brewing in her that she wanted to squash. "Very well, I'll enlighten you. Maybe after a little card game? Don't worry, I won't take any of your cards."

"As if I'll lose to you." she frowned.

She had beat him more than once when they were younger.

"Times change." He said. "People change."

Seifer brought his own deck, and they played the most basic game with simple rules. Same Rule, included. To her surprise, Seifer possessed a strong deck in his hand. It was 5-4, the odds in her favor.

"I have a certain proposition for you."

Her eyes narrowed to his proposition. "Why should I even listen to you?"

"Because you want your ex back." He said, laying another card. Adding another point to his scoreboard. "And I want mine back as well."

This blockhead was Rinoa's ex-boyfriend?

Seeing the confusion and distress on her face, Seifer smirked. "Hard to believe, Trepe? Yes, Rinoa was my ex-girlfriend. We were in a relationship for 4 years… I was there for her, until a certain jerk came into the picture and stole her away from me."

So that was it.

Their exes met and started a relationship and left the two hanging. She was in a relationship with Squall for 2 years, and he with her for 4 years. Then in a mere 4 months, all those years was lost.

Everything.

"What if I don't want to be with my ex again?"

"Oh, I doubt it." he said.

He was so full of himself that she wanted to refuse him. She placed another card, this time, gaining lead against him.

"What's your proposition then?"

"We separate them."

She had already thought of that. "It's not that simple."

"Nothing is not too simple. There's always the essence in everything. And if you can shake that foundation." His finger snapped. "Everything falls into pieces."

"Just like your relationship with her."

"Just like your relationship with him." He countered.

Facing him, Quistis felt she was talking a stranger. He had been crude years ago. Uncouth. Barbaric. But now, there was a refined grace to him that she had never wasn't the same Seifer Almasy she knew. Where was the impulsiveness? That brashness that always got him into trouble?

As if he was a walking and talking block of ice personified.

Instead, sitting in front of her was a cold and calculating man.

"Why do you want to be with her again?" she asked.

"Because her father is a general."

So he was merely using her. It wasn't for love.

"Don't think I'm just using her. Rinoa's beautiful, kind and sweet. It's a plus factor that her dad's a general. Look, I met a lot of connections because of her father, and I won't allow this runt to get away with this. Nobody takes what's mine. And if someone does, someone will pay."

"What method will your proposition take then?"

"Let's pretend to have a relationship."

6-5.

She was winning, but it was still Seifer's turn. There was no way he could counter her move. He was a lost cause, and so was his mind.

"Don't be absurd."

"You haven't listened to the rest of my proposition, and I still have one more move to make."

She stood from her chair, obviously upset. She didn't see the card Seifer placed on the board, but she did see the couple who strolled in the canteen.

Quistis inhaled. She had only seen them through the pictures Xu provided her. It was a punch to the gut to see them in the flesh, and she could only feel the cold sweat traverse across her face.

Squall was laughing. He had such a light expression on his face that she had never seen before, and the woman beside him- Rinoa- was laughing as well. A dog was trailing behind them too.

Quistis froze. She was ready to fight an army of monsters, or even the T-Rex in the training center.

But she wasn't ready for this.

Not this.

She felt him stand behind her. His voice close to her ears. "So, will you or will you not accept?"

Shit.

"Will you?"

She couldn't remove her eyes from the couple across the cafeteria. "What about the details?"

"We'll work on it later."

After a few seconds, Quistis nodded.

She heard his chuckle before he turned her body to face him. "Then we have a deal."

Quistis finally saw the last card Seifer placed. What darn luck he had to convert her adjacent cards to his.

5-6.

"While I said I won't take any of your cards, I think I'll take something else."

Before she could internalize her loss, his lips descended upon hers, and Quistis realized what he took.

Her first kiss.

Not with Squall, but with him- Her pretend boyfriend, Seifer Almasy.


	3. A Simple Plan

Seifer felt her stiffen.

Seifer knew Quistis could slapped him if she wanted to. He couldn't afford it, so he had to try harder. His kiss, delving deeper, making her breathless, making her relax. She melted into his embrace.

"The students- " She breathed.

"let them." and he kissed her again, tasting those lips he compared to Rinoa's.

One.

Two.

Three.

"Woof!" a dog barked.

In the middle of that kiss, he vaguely heard a woman yell. "Angelo!"

Quistis pushed him away. He let her.

A charming brown bordie collie rushed Seifer's feet. It behaved as if it hadn't seen him for a long time. Smiling, he knelt down and patted the collie. He never even noticed the way Quistis looked at him. As if she had never seen such tenderness in his face. As if she had really seen the expression at all.

A pretty black haired woman with caramel streaks walked towards them. Seifer raised his head, observing the two women for the first time.

Rinoa's pretty and warm face appealed to a man. It drove a man to want to protect her. Quistis on the other hand, had a different kind of appeal. She wasn't the damsel in distress type, the kind of woman a man desired to protect. He couldn't pinpoint Quistis' appeal, really, and he had no intention of exploring it either.

He had an ex to face.

"Hello Rinoa." He greeted.

"Hello Seifer." She replied. Then she moved to the dog. "Angelo, you mustn't disturb them…."

Seifer placed his hand around Quistis' waist, pulling her close. "No problem at all, Rin. Quisits and I just a little chat. We entered the Academy around the same time. Too bad I was thrown to Galbadia for bad conduct. But I guess it was a blessing. We had a little catching up to do. Heard she's an instructor now."

"Quisits Trepe?" Rinoa asked. She gaped at the blonde woman. " _The Quistis Trepe_?" she beamed. "Oh I've heard a lot of you from the instructors at Galbadia Garden. You're quite popular there."

Quistis looked genuinely surprised with the revelation. "Really? I… never knew."

"But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rinoa Caraway. Nice to meet you. "

Seifer watched as Quistis returned the pleasantry. She knew how to act. "A pleasure to meet you too." then she looked to Squall. "Hello Squall. She's a very sweet girl."

"Hey Q." he replied, not quite looking Quistis in the eyes.

"Q?" Rinoa asked.

"That's her nickname." Then he scratched his neck, "Sorry if we interrupted you guys."

"Please don't worry." Quistis said. "It.. it was nothing…"

"But the two of you were kissing."

A blush crept into Quistis' face, Seifer noted. Amusing. Just how would Trepe explain herself?

"We were rekindling an old flame." she mumbled, as if the saying the words were the penance for a death sentence.

Squall looked surprised. "What old flame?"

"I've never told you, but before I left, I had a little crush on Quisty." Seifer smirked at her, playing along with her story. "But alas, I was too crude and too brash, and she was too stuck up for me. So we parted ways."

"I didn't know that." Rinoa said, looking surprised.

"Some emotions aren't worth expressing, not unless it's at the right time." The he levered his gaze to Squall, his grip on Quistis' waist getting tighter. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Mind what?"

"if I dated your ex-girlfriend?"

The silence was oppressive. Rinoa only raised a finger to her lips, speculating whether his motive was sincere or not. Squall's jaw dropped, and Quistis could only bow her head and look at the deck of cards.

Angelo woofed again.

"Of course." Squall said, snapping out of his trance. "Feel free to date her. It's not as if she's my wife or anything."

Rinoa glanced at Quistis and Squall, curiosity written all over her face."

"Oh, you didn't know Rin? Squall and Quistis used to be a couple."

Rinoa blanched. "I didn't."

Seifer felt the body beside him tense. "But that's all in the past now." He continued. He's her past. She's my present. The same way I'm your past and he's your present."

"Y-yeah." This time, Rinoa looked uncomfortable. "Very well. Then please excuse us."

And the couple left, the dog in tow.

Finally alone, Quistis pried his arm away from her. She whirled, facing him. "You shouldn't have done that."

"done what?"

" _He's her past. She's my present. The same way I'm your past and he's your present_." She mimicked. "It was awkward for them."

"Oh? I thought we were a team. Why are you siding with them?"

"It's just that…."

"What?"

She crossed her arms against her chest. "That was very cruel."

"Wasn't it cruel when he left you for her?"

Silence.

"Wasn't it cruel he kept her out of the shadow that the two of you were a couple?"

Quistis kept her silence, and he knew why.

Because she knew it was the truth. Their exes had been cruel to them.

"That doesn't give us the right to be cruel to them."

Seifer sighed. "You and your morals, Trepe."

"Kindly explain to me why we have to pretend a relationship just to break them apart."

"To make them jealous."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but your plan doesn't sound realistic."

"Look at it this way, Trepe." He said, "He cheated on you. She left me for him. Both carry the guilt of leaving us. No matter how hard they try to deny, they know they can't escape that guilt."

She still look unconvinced. "Why me?"

"If I just got a different girlfriend, it wouldn't elicit the same response with Squall. Likewise, if you got another boyfriend, it wouldn't elicit the same response in Rinoa."

Quistis still kept her arms crossed against her chest.

"The plan is simple."

Her eyes narrowed. "Too simple."

"People underestimate the simple things in life." He countered.

She stared at him, wondering if his too simple plan would work.

"You don't need to worry."

He placed his palms on top of her shoulders. "Right now, all you need to do is trust me. Smile. Pretend that we're girlfriend and boyfriend. We're dating after all, right?"

There, he said it.

Seifer entered his room as he removed his trench coat. It was such a long time. His old room looked just like his current room. Well, all dormitory rooms in Balamb looked the same. Even the ones in Galbadia was not an exception. Sitting on his bed, he took a picture from his wallet. It was an image of him and Rinoa.

He couldn't help but recall the events that happened in his life.

During his early days in Balamb, he was indeed brash. And that brashness gave him the scar on his face. but that Seifer was just a boy. The present Seifer was different.

Older.

Wiser.

Stronger.

Ruthless, if possible.

When he was whisked to Galbadia, he realized he could excel there. And excel he did. His youth and impulsivity was welcomed, and he worked hard to improve himself.

That was how he met Rinoa. He was practicing his sword skills when she passed by. Back then, he didn't knew she was the daughter of General Caraway. To him, she was a breath of fresh air. Young. Lively. Full of charm. She appealed to him in a way he didn't think it was possible.

A simple crush led to courtship, and she said yes. They had a good four years, until Squall entered their lives. Squall f*cking Leonheart. His enemy and rival in Balamb Garden.

Rinoa accidentally became a Sorceress and had a hard time controlling her powers. Squall was sent by Balamb as reinforcements. That was how the two got acquainted.

Seifer grew livid that he wasn't there to save her, but she assured him that everything was well.

Six months later, she broke up with him. Three months later, she was his girlfriend.

The betrayal had cut through Seifer's soul. Cut through his heart.

He couldn't understand it.

What went wrong?

Wasn't he loyal and faithful?

Didn't he have eyes for her?

Didn't he try to be the best for her?

Wasn't it enough?

Wasn't he enough for her?

He crumpled the picture in his hand.

When he learned Rinoa requested to transfer to Balamb Region, he knew couldn't miss the opportunity. He would win her over. Right beneath Leonhart's nose.

Headmaster Martin wasn't eager to let him go. Despite Seifer's misgivings, he was a good asset for Galbadia.

"I don't want to let you go Almasy, but if this is what makes you happy, then so be it. We'll process the papers for your transfer as soon as possible."

"Thank you Headmaster."

Martin softly tapped his index finger on the table. "Are you doing this to win your ex-girlfriend?"

"Pardon?"

The headmaster smiled. "You heard me. I mean, why don't you find another girlfriend instead? I'm sure you still have friends in Balamb Garden. You might even find a new love or two."

If he wasn't the headmaster, Seifer could have strangled him. "Not interested."

Upon his transfer to Balamb, he used his intel skills to gather information about Squall. To his surprise, he never expected he was in a relationship with Quistis Trepe. _Looks like he ditched Trepe for my ex._

Plastered on the wall was Quistis Trepe's picture. Coolly, he assessed the picture in front of him. Instructor Number 17. The youngest Instructor admitted in Balamb Garden. She was quite popular with the students, even in Galbadia and Trabia Gardens. Only Hyne knew how she became popular in those Gardens. Famed for her Blue magic ability and a rabid fans club who called themselves Trepies. Quistis was also the "King" of the Card Master Club in Balamb Garden.

Time had been kind to her. She was a pretty thing during their adolescent years. But now she was a stunning woman. Not a girl, but a woman. Women with glasses were hot, Seifer had to admit.

At one look, it seemed that she was everything a man could ask for. The ideal woman, if possible.

But Squall had left the ideal woman for Rinoa. He could imagine the blow to her pride and ego, and he laughed.

This would be interesting.

Using Quistis was never part of the original plan, but when he happened to see her in the canteen this morning, he grabbed the opportunity.

It was really simple.

They would ruin their exes newfound relationship. It didn't matter whether Rinoa was happy with Squall, or whether Squall truly loved Rinoa.

He would make Squall pay for stealing his woman.

Quistis was just the perfect instrument to achieve that. No romantic emotions existed between the two of them. He didn't love her. Neither did she. But he was willing to do anything to win Rinoa back. If it was necessary to collaborate with the ex-girlfriend of his nemesis, then he would do it.


End file.
